How to make friends- Deadpan Productions interview/ review of Lenny + guests at the Bee's Mouth 21/06/24

 I find myself blissfully drunk at a pub, I came for the gig but stayed for the drags and laughs found only in the smoking area. Like a Sonar, my ears perk up! Honing in… this can’t be right but the frequencies align an accent that sounds like my own. I rush over but my partner has already beaten me to it, I gasp and say “Omg are you from Northern Ireland”, A smile comes over his face as he holds me “Yes!!”, from his short bright orange mullet and piercings in every square inch of his face you know why he’s here and from your baggy dress that looks like it was ripped off a 1980s mannequin he knows why you're here too. A connection, I don’t need to ask any more questions. He points to his taller, alternative-looking friend “This is Max”, a spark clicks in my brain “Oh you run Deadpan productions”...  The conversation wavers on, we've all got more drunk places to be “Keep in touch” I shout as they walk away into the dark alley of the night leaving only the dull venue lights to guide their path. A week later we go to a bar together then, we go to each other's gigs, we exchange gratitudes and memes till a small interaction turns into a recurring character. Another branch of our community is formed, it keeps us grounded and hopeful that this dream of a vibrant music scene is not just something from the movies but can become our reality. 

That’s how I met Max and Justin, both first-year university students studying at Bimm and Waterbear. Justin has his own music project Gobsmacked, the first time I saw him play I had goosebumps, he’s basically the Queer Northen Irish Jeff Buckley. Together their promotion company has been running for just over 8 months putting on 9 gigs to date. After attending and playing at a few of the gigs and watching the pair argue like an old married couple while Max struts about the venue appearing cool and composed but running high off anxiety. I invited them up to my flat the day before they’re next venture Lenny plus guests live at the Bee’s mouth. They make running these gigs look easy but I wanted to know what lunatics decide to get into the promotion business in the first place!!

Max: I’m not getting paid either!

You know I’ve been recording this for the past two minutes 

Both: AHHHHHHH!!!

Max: Shit I need PR training 

Justin: Huh 

What made you start Deadpan Productions?

Justin: Go on say your reasons

Max: Because I had no friends, and I needed friends, everybody was doing something and had a direction and I just felt that it was the best way to meet people like I was actually doing something in Brighton. Originally it was just something to get to know people in the scene but then you know I was kinda decent at it so I kept on doing it

Oh wow you know I knew you were studying music business at Bimm so I assumed you just had a passion for it but it came about because you wanted friends?

Max: Yeah, I mean yeah that’s the one thing I’m good at sorting things out 

Justin: You’re good at business and you like music so 

So why not put it together

Max: Yeah no disrespect to anybody in the Brighton scene but not everybody is good with the business side like as the artist you”ll send the promoter a text like oh can you book the venue and they’ll be like yeah yeah and then three months later you won’t hear anything and I just feel like I can say no, I can get this done

Justin: You’re very good at communicating with the artists even if you get a bit annoyed 

God you’re just exposing Deadpan Productions

Justin: No no you are really good

Max: I wouldn’t say I get annoyed more stressed, it’s a lot!

So what is it like to organise and run a gig, give me the breakdown from booking the venue, getting the lineup sorted and then the day of the gig.

Justin: Max doesn't give himself enough credit but he’s always like “i wanna do a night in the Folklore rooms and it’s all folk music”

No way

Justin: No no haha but you know what I mean he’s always on theme so he’s like “ I need you to get me artists that are like… are you still doing the neo-soul night?

Max: Yeah yeah I think so 

Justin: So yeah he’d be like “Get me some neo-soul people”, you know like the gig on Sunday is very… Hippy vibes!

Max: No it’s like flowers yeah

Justin: Flowers! Is that how you wanna describe it 

Max: Yeah I think it’s about having a direction and knowing what to go for

So you get a lineup sorted then what’s next on the promotion side?

Max: So I have my Instagram page and I try to promote there as much as possible but I always make sure the artists have a big following and post about it often. My friend Dom the designer who made my last two posters, I’ll be like “Hey can you make me this poster” and then send that out to the artists I need to make sure I have a ticket link ready or make like a stupid video of me howling

Justin: Appeal to the people with memes

Max: I’m just shitposting, I don’t have the biggest following so I’ll make sure the artist does and they have content to post

Okay awesome so let’s go back to the day of the gig what’s that like? Stressful?

Max: Yeah stressful oh yeah so stressful 

Justin: I mean it depends on a lot of things

Max: The last two ones have been awful

The last one was at the Waterbear venue, right? So take me through that gig

Max: Well first of all we had to transport all the equipment there so we had to get someone to drive us there

Justin: Oh yeah and my bassist got in a car accident, but you know haha something bad always happens before we set out for a big gig, well censoring this part but there was that  letter Max got the day of the gig

This next segment of the interview was cut short due to Deadpan Productions’ untimely demise at the hands of the law they will be greatly missed in the Brighton music scene but justice must be served 

Sike 

Max: I sent back a letter saying I haven’t done shit, I’m not going to do shit, you can’t prove shit and I paid a fine whatever 

Justin: We’ve just had a bit of bad luck on the days of the gigs which adds a stressful element, I think we work really well with stress when we’re together because we always stress but the other person is always like “ It’s fine, It’s literally fine” and then we’re like “oh but what if it’s not fine”

Do you think the payoff is worth it after all the stress and the gig is over?

Justin: Yeah there’s always a bit of relief

Max: Obviously we don’t make a lot of money from it, it’s more the fact that we actually managed to put on a gig and it goes smoothly and I make sure my artists get paid, I make sure it’s all on time and we have photographers blah blah blah. I take pride in the fact I actually put on decent shows with decent turnouts and people actually enjoy them as long as that all happens it’s a win for me.

How much do you think community plays a role in the success of the gigs?

Max: Oh absolutely 100% it is all about the community with gigs, it’s all about sharing if one person goes then all their mates will go all these bands know each other and rely on each other. In Brighton, there’s a community of people who love music and always wanna go see it so you have the reassurance that people will actually show up to your gig.

Justin: I think that people are noisy, you know when you're in a creative city you want to seek it out and I think what Max is doing is he’s appealing to a certain demographic every time and it works.

How Important do you think it is to keep grassroots music alive in the scene and do you think Deadpan has made an impact within it?

Justin: I think it’s really important in loads of different ways. I think now in the times of the world and social media there’s this overwhelming fear of being an artist or in a creative field that your job is going to be taken. Or you know it feels like a losing game from the get-go, so I think having these supportive systems is really good. You know you’re giving people a shot. I think Deadpan has made an influence on the scene

Max: Well I don’t know

Justin: I think Max's scene in his mind is very big but I think you’re doing a lot

I think you’ve become one of the biggest promoters in the scene among uni students

Max: Really, I don’t really feel like I do impact the scene at all. It’ll make me feel really good if I can put on bigger bands and then smaller local artists to support like say the Last Dinner Party came down I think if I could put on smaller bands behind them I think then I’d be influencing the scene and helping people but now I feel like you know, you always feel like you can do more.

From your first gig until now how much do you think Deadpan has grown?

Max: Oh I think there’s a lot more trust now in my artists originally I was a bit pessimistic to be working with a lot of artists cause in my mind I didn’t really think I could rely on them, I feel like at the start if I had a problem they wouldn't listen to me but now because they’ve seen the past gigs if I ask someone for something they’ll be a lot more responsible. I feel like my media has got a lot better I have a poster maker, and I have this really good photographer @disturbi.art on Instagram Lottie is great she’s taken photos for a lot of my gigs

Justin: You’ve got me too!

Max: Yeah… you know I have sound engineers as well that are always willing to help. I have a much tighter circle now and I feel like I can operate with more precision. I know how things work and what problems I’m gonna face. I still don’t feel like I know everything but I know what direction I want to move things in. What do you feel?

Justin: What do I feel? 

Max: Yeah about me changing

Justin: I think it’s changing but it’s becoming a lot more professional I think it’s growing I think it’s getting better and improving but I don’t think you’re changing a lot about what the core is

Is evolving a better word?

Justin: Yeah we’re just getting more people involved 

In a way you’ve created your own micro scene

Justin: Well I wouldn't go there!! Maybe give us six more months

What would be your dream lineup of Brighton Bands?

Both: OOHHHHHHH

Max: That’s such a good question! We’re gonna argue about this. Can I pick a genre or…

It’s just anything 

Max: Brighton Bands?

Yes just anything for example you've got a big opportunity to put a gig on at Brighton Dome and this is the lineup

Justin: Okay okay wait a minute let us do our jobs

Max: It’s so hard cause there are so many good bands, I think you guys definitely (Rottweiler) or is that cheating?

Yes that’s cheating you can’t say me or anything to do with me

Max: oooooh who have we seen oh you know Lana Death Ray are really good shout out to MoonRock Management yeah their management is lovely to work with but Lana Death Ray are fucking good I mean they are… really fucking good. I’ve seen them twice now and each time they play it’s soo!!

So would they be your headliners?

Max: No.

Oh okay, haha

Max: No, no disrespect to them but they’re on the bill, how many bands are we allowed 

Three

Justin: Three so they’re either middle or bottom

Max: Bottom

Justin: Bottom, okay we have to go a bit bigger than Lana Death Ray

Max: What are you thinking 

Justin: HAHA I have no fucking idea!

Max: I mean I love Kitchen Lover but I don’t think that would suit them with Lana Death Ray… Spill? I think Spill’s second they fucking slap I love them.

Okay so then number one?

Max: Okay right you choose this one and I’ll say yes or no

Justin: Oh Brother! Oh ummmm oh I have no clue

Max: As a headliner ooh I feel like this needs to be an alt-rock shoegaze…

Justin: Can we leave it undecided like can we say someone else for funnsies 

I really want Slipknot!

What if I give you 10 seconds and you just have to say someone

Max: Oh no

10

Justin: Nirvana tribute band, or Kitchen Lover

Max: Will we just say Kitchen Lover, yeah Kitchen Lover I fuck with Kitchen Lover, lovely guys I’ve got their vinyl

What’s Next, obviously you’ve got the gig tomorrow are you excited, or nervous?

Justin: Yayyyyyy!!

Max: I’m shitting myself nobody has an amp so I’ve got to find an amp, I mean moving on from the gig tomorrow I wanna do a neo-soul thing I wanna do some jazz stuff as well there’s some artists I really wanna work with like Tia Ice I’ve heard so many good things about her. Me and Justin are meant to be doing a band but we had a listen back to our recordings…

Justin: We were having a jam on Thursday and I listened back on Friday and I just went… Max.. this is so shit!

Maybe for now stick to the gigs!

 

I check my phone “Shit doors have already opened” I gather myself out of my post-work slump and drag my tired legs down to the Bee’s mouth 15 mins before the first act. I make my way to the venue located in the basement but before I get there I have to complete my sightseeing of the neverending labyrinth that is Bee’s mouth. As you step in the door you're greeted with the strong smell of incense and unique options of craft beers which you can enjoy on velvet sofas or hardwood benches, as you make your way down the first flight of stairs you can enjoy a collage of photos of Christopher Walken beside an old landline telephone on a rotating pillar… and finally, after that, you reach the venue… And it’s just as odd as what I’ve previously witnessed! Think of the black lodge from Twin Peaks, the stage is adorned with a red curtain, and abstract paintings and tacky wallpaper engulf the room. 

As I take my final set of stairs 10 minutes before the first band unbeknownst to me I interrupt a powerful, meaningful and intense debate…

Justin: “Well you’ve got the discount if I give you my phone will you get me a Guinness”

Max:  “Why can’t you just go yourself” 

Justin: “Cause you have the discount”

They pause

Both: “Hey Jessica”

It’s tense. 

Justin ends up getting his way and Max leaves to get him a drink when he gets back I enquire how many tickets they’ve sold “I think 5, people mostly buy on the door anyways..” 5 minutes before the first act, I can tell he’s stressed and Justins just happy to be there cracking jokes that Max doesn't seem to find funny.. 1 minute before the first act a cohort of girls come bumping down the stairs, their leader being the first act of the night, Alice Geary.

Alice Geary

Alice adorns the stage with her small-bodied Taylor guitar she’s dressed like if Stevie Nicks was sponsored by Adidas. She’s accompanied by electric guitarist Bella sporting a Fender Strat and a laid-back attitude. From the get go Alice hits us with these self-assured catchy pop songs backed up by whimsical guitar chords and riffs, like the four butterflies tattooed on her arm they fly in motion capturing the fleeting dreaminess of her songs. Her music has the sleazy edge of Beabadobe but with pop hooks quite like Masie Peters. The subtlety of the electric guitar riffs elevates the songs from singer-songwriter to indie pop magic! Halfway through the set, Alice mentions R&B as her musical upbringing and I think that’s very noticeable in her music as she uses a lot of jazzy chords and unique vocal melodies while translating that into her now indie pop sound. She goes on to perform a cover of Lianna La Havas’ Midnight which showcases her vocal prowess, her voice is soothing like medicine it’s subtle but addicting. As Alice takes a break to tune the crowd composed of the troop of girls that followed her eagerly down the stairs banter back and forth with her arguing over roast dinners and begging her to play a song she forcefully says “No I don’t play that one anymore”.  She admits she’s only been playing guitar for a year but these unusual chord voices would state otherwise maybe it’s just beginners luck but adverting from the stereotypical singer-songwriter trope of only playing the same four chords over and over is what gives her pop tracks edge. She plays a song called This Time dedicated to electric guitar player Bella which she also announces will be released on July 26th (Already out as of the time of writing article). As she begins to play her last song her friends chant the chorus together, those unfamiliar with Alice couldn’t help but join in. My only drawback of her performance is I kept fantasising what these tracks would sound like with a full band behind them. If she can find people that want to embark on this musical mission with her I think these songs could reach another level. You can catch Alice next at the Prince Albert on the 23rd of September, and I highly recommend you don’t want to miss it!

Georgina Wilson

Next up is Georgina Wilson. If I was to describe Georgina it would be laidback through and through. She was coquettishly pulling off the big shirt small skirt style fronting a gorgeous sunburst epiphone. The songs and her look transported me out of the Bee’s Mouth and into some dodgy dive bar in a rural American town there was an eerie mystery behind her. Sadly the illusion was broken too quickly as halfway through her first song she forgot the lyrics and chords, but if I’m honest nobody could tell. As for Georgina’s sound, she can jump from Sharon Van Etten with repetitive chord structures and dreary lyrics that require you to listen to them and when you’ve just about accepted the dark brooding rhythms she jumps to a bright R&B fused tracks similar to Olivia Dean or Alice Phoebe Lou. The third song she played was her latest single Bad Idea, where she sings about going after someone who is probably bad for you but wanting to anyway. It’s a fun track that captures the naivety of youth and lounges in those summer vibes.  As her set continued she just kept making constant mistakes and restarting songs. The first time it happened there was some humour and personality in it but as it continues you find that insecurity is a dull knife. I hope she can find her confidence because she has the songs to back her talent up. In one instance she stopped mid-way through a song nerves taking hold of her as she apologised profusely, stammering the crowd began chanting and cheering her on as she collected herself thanking everyone for making her feel better enough to finish it. When she gets really into the music she has a retable sarcastic attitude like on the track Complicated where she laments about the turmoil of unreliable partners. On her second last song, her friend Zoe with the Y2K shades graces the stage with a wine glass in one hand and microphone in the other they perform a duet called August a tribute to friends and memories made at university as you learn to let them go and move on. I do think the mix of genre shifts in her set is interesting although sometimes the contrast was quite jarring. I do hope she can refine her sound and find her confidence because she has a lot of potential. 

Lenny

Closing the night up was Lenny! Just as bright and bubbly as her jet orange hair which matched her dress. She is accompanied on acoustic guitar by Tom, the two sat hand in hand facing each other playing intimate stripped-back renditions of songs that should have jangly synths and electronic drums underneath them. She’s an enigmatic performer, putting passion into every word. Her vocal delivery always starts soft as she crescendos into a beautiful belt lingering on every word and not wasting a breath. Her third song is a track called Self Medicate. At that point in the set they both stand up bringing up the energy with them. This track reminded me of Speak Now era Taylor Swift, it’s very catchy as she comments the song is about “whatever love is meant to be”. The fifth song in her set Moonlight was a change of pace from the top 40 hits we’d heard consecutively. It was the first song in the set that was in a minor key and it had grit! You could see Lenny feeling herself as the anger boiled in her voice and she spat out every word. Her vocal delivery complimented the chords well and it felt like a tribute to Carrie Underwoods’s Before He Cheats. She sighed in anguish stating “It’s past all our bedtimes” before inciting a spellbinding sing-along of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams the small room was united holding up flashlights and singing out of tune. She ends with Body which is a big highlight. We see Lenny fully get into that pop star persona. It's the most interesting song chord-wise with the same jazzy flourishes which sets it apart from the other songs in the set. It’s a beautiful moment watching her friends sing it back to her and as it ends she shouts “Go home to bed”!!. I do wish there was a bit more movement and energy in her performance as for the most part she just stood still in the same place.

I look forward to hearing what these songs sound like recorded.